Katie Fforde - Going Dutch

He looked at his watch too. 'A bit, I suppose.'

‘Does Carole worry? It must be hard for her.'

‘How do you mean?' Marcus shifted on his newspaper. 'Well, if you're away a lot, taking random boats about the place. I'd worry.'

‘To please you then, I'll ring Carole.’

To prevent herself wondering too much why he should want to please her, Jo went down to the main cabin and put the kettle on.

‘She's fine,' he said a little later, as Jo was making tea. 'She and I'll set off first thing tomorrow. We've got a few days to get back in, so there's no need for her to fret.’

‘I thought you were going back down the Thames when you came before.’

He looked enigmatic and to Jo, maddening. She'd have to give up trying to work him out – it was quite clearly a lost cause. 'We were but we didn't. And Carole doesn't mind either way.’

She wasn't going to ask him why. 'I wasn't being critical, only saying how I'd feel. Did you want tea? You don't have to drink it if you don't want to.'

‘No, I do want tea.' He took a sip from the mug Jo handed to him. She sipped her own. There was a slightly awkward pause.

‘Did I not manage to convince you that you're not going to drown?' he asked after a few moments.

‘Oh yes! Well, nearly.'

‘So why are you looking so anxious?'

‘Am I?' Jo tried to assume a calm expression but only partially managed it. He seemed to have an unsettling effect on her.

‘Yes.'

‘Oh, well – life in general can be a bit anxious-making. More tea?'

‘Changing the subject?'

‘Yup!'

‘Why?'

‘You're very…' She searched for the word. 'Inter rogatory.'

‘Tell me what makes you worry.'

‘And demanding.' She kept trying to lighten the mood, but he wouldn't co-operate.

His expression was as demanding as his words. She sighed, and gave in. 'OK, it's because I don't know if I can earn my own living.' She decided to go for the part truth. Itwas easier. 'I haven't done for many years and although I have restored some things for Miranda to put in her shop, I don't know if there's a living in that. Philip has been very generous, but his girlfriend is pregnant. Things will change. Michael will want his barge back eventually and then I'll be homeless.'

‘You could live on another barge.'

‘They don't cost nothing, and it's difficult to get a mortgage or a loan for them.'

‘Philip could increase the mortgage on your old home.

He owes you half the value of the house, at least.’

‘Does he? Really that much? After all, he paid for it.’

‘I'm sure you made a contribution,' he said matter-of- factly.

‘Oh yes. I made it the house it is now – or really, the house it was when I left. But it wasn't a financial contribution. Isn't that what counts?'

‘I don't think so, but you should see a solicitor, find out the facts.’

Jo smiled and shook her head slightly. 'It's all right, you don't have to offer solutions. It's a very male thing to do, I know, but I'm only moaning, really. And I certainly don't expect you to be able to solve my problems.'

‘I want to solve them.’

Fortunately for Jo's peace of mind, they heard footsteps on the pontoon and then the sound of something landing on the cabin roof.

‘They were quick,' said Marcus.

‘Tom lives quite near. He has a boat. I expect his mate has a boat in the same place. But it's really handy that he happened to have oil drums, isn't it?’

Tom and Dora were standing next to a large green container that looked to Jo like a water butt.

‘What's that?' asked Marcus.

‘It used to hold lemon juice, apparently.’

Marcus appeared unimpressed. 'It's a bit bulky and hard Ito handle.'

‘Absolutely! We've just handled it from the island and it was jolly hard,' said Dora, meaning a tougher word than 'jolly'.

‘Not ideal,' said Marcus.

‘But it's all we've got. And it's Sunday night. Beggars can't be choosers.' Dora wouldn't normally have been so outspoken but the container had been very difficult to manipulate.

‘It won't melt if we put diesel in it, will it?' asked Jo. 'Probably not. We'll have to try and see.'

‘But will we get that huge thing down into the engine room?' asked Jo, not wanting to disparage Tom and Dora's efforts but expressing her doubts anyway.

‘Let's try,' said Tom, obviously a bit fed up with this lack of enthusiasm.

The two women stood on the deck and let the men wrangle the huge tub into the wheelhouse, through the narrow door, and down into the pit of the engine room.

‘How will they get it down the ladder?' asked Dora.

‘Just drop it, I expect.’

‘They'll never get it back up again, not full.'

‘I think the plan is to filter some and put it back, using the pump.' She sighed.

‘Are you still dreading the trip, Jo?'

‘Actually no, not really. Marcus talked me out of my fears a bit, and while I can't see myself wanting to go round the world in a boat, I don't feel quite so hysterical about it.'

‘He's much less scary than he seemed at first, isn't he? Less Alpha Male.’

Jo laughed. 'I think our opinion was formed by what other people said about him. Always foolish. Let's go down and make a cup of tea. Marcus and Tom seem to be getting on OK. He's such a nice boy.'

‘Huh! You should see his friends! They're the kind of dropouts from society I should have brought home to my mother! That would have taught her!'

‘When did you last speak to your mother, Dora?’

‘Not for ages. I sent her an email about the job.'

‘Why don't you ring her now?' Jo suggested. She didn't want to boss Dora, but she knew Dora missed her parents, despite what had happened between them all.

They'd reached the saloon now and Dora crossed it to put on the kettle. 'Because… she'll have a go at me. Or put Dad on the phone. Something.'

‘Wouldn't you like to talk to her?'

‘I'd like us to be able to be more normal with each other, but I really don't want to have the conversation. She'll expect me to apologise.' She turned to Jo. 'I am truly sorry about all the upset I've caused; I couldn't be more so. But I'm not sorry I pulled out of the wedding. I don't think she'll see it like that though.'

‘These things don't happen by magic. You'll have to give your mother a chance to see things from your point of view,' said Jo, reaching for the tea bags and assorted mugs.

‘1 know.' Dora picked up a cloth and began wiping the perfectly clean counter.

‘And if your mother won't ring you, you have to ring her. You're both adults, even if one of you did give birth to the other.'

‘But I don't know how she feels about me. She was so cross and disappointed.'

‘I'm sure she feels she'd like to have contact with her daughter,' said Jo gently. 'You're an only child, remember. I would hate it if Karen and I weren't speaking. I couldn't bear it, in fact.'

‘But you and Karen, you have quite a different relationship.’

Jo laughed. 'You mean she bosses me about and not the other way around?'

‘Well, yes..

‘I found out very early on which of us was the stronger character, but she never took advantage of my weakness.'

‘No, I remember her saying that she couldn't do anything that would worry you because you were so soft.’

Jo sighed. 'I used to worry so much that I was such a pushover, and yet I couldn't be a different sort of mother. I don't think one can.'

‘But Karen's done very well,' Dora insisted.

‘I know, I'm terribly proud of her. But even if she was living in a squat, living off social security, as I imagine some of Tom's friends do, I'd still really love her and want to keep in touch.'